Friday, July 15, 2011

Yesterday we made the four hour trip from my parent's house in Atlanta to Matt's parent's house in Savannah. My mother and his father were kind enough to drive us to/pick us up in Macon so we wouldn't have to rent a car and make the trip alone. But it was still as terrible as I expected it to be.
Aaron just doesn't tolerate being strapped into a car seat for hours at a time and he has no problem letting us know how displeased he is. So he cried and screamed and threw most everything we handed to him for pretty much the entire trip. It was horrible and if you are ever unfortunate enough to have to travel with us, you will understand.
But we made it here and we all survived. I'm just glad I have blonde hair - if I'm going gray, you can't see it yet! We will be here in Savannah for another two weeks before we head back to Phoenix. Matt will be joining us next weekend and flying back with the boys and I, so hopefully that will make the trip at least a little easier.
While we are here we are hoping to spend time with family, see some friends, eat a lot of delicious seafood, see Harry Potter (okay, maybe that's just me) and enjoy our visit to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
I wasn't able to see everyone that I wanted to see while we were in Atlanta, so if I missed you, I am very sorry. Two weeks went by entirely too fast, we may have to make our trip a little longer next summer!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Last week I took Aaron to the Down Syndrome Clinic here in Atlanta for our yearly visit. After discussing his behavior and changes in medical status over the past year, his doctor started talking to me about Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). He has always had a very mixed response to certain sensations, but has never been officially diagnosed with anything related to that. However, after talking about some of his symptoms, it seems more and more likely that he has it. I have heard of Sensory Processing Disorder, which is sometimes called Sensory Integration Disorder, but don't know much about it.

From what she said and what I have read since then, it is basically an inability to cope with certain stimuli. Most people can avoid sounds, lights or other things that bother them, but Aaron doesn't know how to do that and instead "acts out" or cries when he is uncomfortable. It can be difficult for him and for us to figure out why he is unhappy but hopefully identifying this disorder is a step in the right direction.

Apparently there are even Sensory Therapists who can help him deal with these sensations that he is overwhelmed with or averse to. So our latest adventure is to find a Sensory Therapist when we get back to Phoenix so we can start helping him cope with these things. Right now, it's things like brushing his teeth and brushing his hair. And hopefully getting started with therapy now will help us avoid problems over the next few years, especially when he gets to school.

It is certainly not an uncommon problem and there are ways we can manage it. We'll deal with this like we have dealt with everything else that has been thrown at us, one day at a time.

The boys and I have been back in Georgia for almost two weeks now. We have been in Marietta visiting my parents and are headed to Savannah to see Matt's family on Thursday. So far, it's been a great trip. The weather has been more difficult than I expected to get used to. Apparently I have acclimated to the hot, dry climate of Arizona already because every time I step outside here I feel like I'm in a sauna. I didn't expect it to affect me this much since I grew up in this weather, but apparently I was wrong. Oh well, at least it's not 120 degrees!

It's hard to believe it has been a year since we moved to Phoenix. We do miss our friends and family here and have had a great time visiting. But we are happily settled in Arizona now. Both of the kids are happy and well adjusted and Matt and I are too.

It is amazing how fast our trip has flown by already. I have so many friends here that I wanted to see and just wasn't able to. If you are one of them, hopefully we can work it out next time around. And you can always find me here, on Facebook or through email!

About Me

Wife and mother to two little boys. Writer for About.com and a Pediatric Nurse. Busy doesn't even begin to describe my life. Having a son with special needs has changed everything about me and I'm learning more every day. Trying to find our way in a world that doesn't really understand what it is like to have a "disability". We're just loving our way through this life with our youngest son who has Down Syndrome, Celiac Disease and Asthma and his big brother who helps him every step of the way.